Introduction

Ensinar means “to teach”, and this page covers exactly one thing: ensinar in the present tense. The present is the tense Portuguese speakers reach for when they talk about what happens regularly, what is true in general, and what is happening right now. On this page you will find the full present table for ensinar, how the tense is formed for this verb, the situations where it is used, how it differs from the pretérito perfeito, worked examples, the mistakes learners make most often, an eight-question quiz with explained answers, and answers to the questions students ask about ensinar in the present. It means to teach, and it is completely regular: ensino, ensinas, ensina, ensinamos, ensinais, ensinam. It takes the subject and the person taught — ensino português à Maria — and it is the natural partner of aprender. For example: “Ele ensina português à Maria todos os dias.” — “He teaches Portuguese to Maria.” Everything on this page uses the forms of ensinar exactly as they are conjugated in the present, so you can trust every form you see here.

Ensinar in the Present — full table

Person Form
eu ensino
tu ensinas
ele/ela ensina
nós ensinamos
vós ensinais
eles/elas ensinam
Gerund: ensinando · Past participle: ensinado
The gerund is ensinando, which you use with estar to say what is happening at the same time as the main action: “Ensinando português à Maria, aprendo muito.” — “While teaching Portuguese to Maria, I learn a lot.” The past participle is ensinado, which you use with ter in the perfect tenses: tenho ensinado is the pretérito perfeito composto, used for a completed action. Keep both forms in mind as you read the examples below, because the present is only one part of how ensinar is used.
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for ensinar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

How the present of ensinar is formed

The present tense of ensinar has six forms: eu ensino, tu ensinas, ele ensina, nós ensinamos, vós ensinais, eles ensinam. Say them in order — eu, tu, ele, nós, vós, eles — and notice which forms share a stem and which do not. ensinar is regular: every form follows the standard -ar endings — -o, -as, -a, -amos, -ais, -am for -ar verbs; -o, -es, -e, -emos, -eis, -em for -er verbs; and -o, -es, -e, -imos, -is, -em for -ir verbs — so once you know the pattern you can build every tense from the stem. There are no surprises in any tense — the tables below are exactly what the endings predict. The present is the tense you will use most, so learn these six forms before you learn any other tense of this verb.

Two things about the present of ensinar are worth noticing. First, the nós and vós forms are the anchor of the verb: the imperfect is built from the same stem, and the present subjunctive takes its nós and vós forms from the same stem, so learning ensinamos and ensinais pays off in three tenses at once. Second, the present is the tense Portuguese uses where English would often use the continuous form, so ensino can mean both “I teach” and “I am teaching” — context tells the listener which one you mean.

Because ensinar is regular in the present, the six forms follow the standard -ar endings exactly. Once you know the pattern for one regular -ar verb, you know it for all of them — only the stem changes. That is why the present of a regular verb is the cheapest tense to learn in the whole language.

When to use the present of ensinar

The present is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use ensinar in the present most often. Each one comes with a real example, so read the rule, then say the example out loud.

1. Habits and routines

The present tense is the tense of routine. When something happens every day, every week or every morning, the present is the natural choice, and ensinar is no exception. Use time expressions such as todos os dias, sempre or todas as semanas to make the routine explicit. Example: “Eu ensino português à Maria todos os dias.” — “I teach Portuguese to Maria.”

2. General truths

Use the present for things that are true in general, not just today. A fact about ensinar does not need a time expression, because it is true whenever you say it. Example: “Ele ensina português à Maria todos os dias.” — “He teaches Portuguese to Maria.”

3. What is happening right now

The present also describes an action in progress at this very moment. Portuguese often prefers the simple present where English would use the continuous form, so a sentence with ensinar in the present can mean both “I do this” and “I am doing this now”. Context tells the listener which one you mean. Example: “Nós ensinamos português à Maria todos os dias.” — “We teach Portuguese to Maria.”

4. Scheduled future events

Portuguese uses the present for something already fixed in the near future, especially with a time expression. It sounds more certain than the future tense, because the plan is already made. Example: “Tu ensinas português à Maria todos os dias.” — “You teach Portuguese to Maria.”

5. Narration and commentary

In stories, instructions and live commentary, the present brings the action into the room. A recipe, a game or a story told in the present feels immediate, and ensinar in the present is the tense that carries it. Example: “Eles ensinam português à Maria todos os dias.” — “They teach Portuguese to Maria.”

Present Tense vs Pretérito Perfeito: how to choose

The closest tense to the present is the pretérito perfeito, and learners mix them up constantly. The rule is simple: the present describes habits, general truths and what is happening now, while the pretérito perfeito describes one finished action in the past. The three pairs below use the same verb, so the only thing that changes is the time frame — and with it, the tense. Notice how the present sentences use words such as todos os dias or sempre, while the pretérito perfeito sentences use ontem or na semana passada. Those time words are your best clue when you are choosing a tense.

  • Present Tense: “Ele ensina português à Maria todos os dias.” — “He teaches Portuguese to Maria”
  • Pretérito Perfeito: “Ele ensinou português à Maria ontem.” — “He taught Portuguese to Maria”
  • The present sentence is a routine or a general truth; the pretérito perfeito sentence is one finished event. Todos os dias points to the present, ontem points to the pretérito perfeito.
  • Present Tense: “Eu ensino português à Maria todos os dias.” — “I teach Portuguese to Maria”
  • Pretérito Perfeito: “Eu ensinei português à Maria ontem.” — “I taught Portuguese to Maria”
  • The present sentence is a routine or a general truth; the pretérito perfeito sentence is one finished event. Todos os dias points to the present, ontem points to the pretérito perfeito.
  • Present Tense: “Tu ensinas português à Maria todos os dias.” — “You teach Portuguese to Maria”
  • Pretérito Perfeito: “Tu ensinaste português à Maria ontem.” — “You taught Portuguese to Maria”
  • The present sentence is a routine or a general truth; the pretérito perfeito sentence is one finished event. Todos os dias points to the present, ontem points to the pretérito perfeito.

Example sentences: ensinar in the present

Read these eight sentences out loud. They cover all six persons, so by the end you will have seen every form in the table used in a real sentence. Pay attention to the words around the verb — the time expressions and the objects — because those are what make each sentence sound natural.

  1. “Eu ensino português à Maria todos os dias.” — “I teach Portuguese to Maria”
  2. “Tu ensinas português à Maria todos os dias.” — “You teach Portuguese to Maria”
  3. “Ele ensina português à Maria todos os dias.” — “He teaches Portuguese to Maria”
  4. “Nós ensinamos português à Maria todos os dias.” — “We teach Portuguese to Maria”
  5. “Vós ensinais português à Maria todos os dias.” — “You teach Portuguese to Maria”
  6. “Eles ensinam português à Maria todos os dias.” — “They teach Portuguese to Maria”
  7. “Eu ensino português à Maria todos os dias.” — “I teach Portuguese to Maria”
  8. “Ele ensina português à Maria todos os dias.” — “He teaches Portuguese to Maria”

Common mistakes

These are the errors learners actually make with this verb in this tense. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.

  • Wrong: “Eu ensinas português à Maria.” Right: “Eu ensino português à Maria todos os dias.” Why: The eu form is ensino, not ensinas. ensinas is the tu form. Mixing the two persons is the most common error with this verb.
  • Wrong: “Nós ensino português à Maria.” Right: “Nós ensinamos português à Maria todos os dias.” Why: Nós needs the nós form ensinamos. ensino belongs with eu only. Learn the six forms as two groups — singular and plural — and the pattern becomes automatic.
  • Wrong: “Eu ensino português à Maria todos os dias ontem.” Right: “Eu ensinei português à Maria ontem.” Why: Ontem points to the past, so the present is wrong here. Use the pretérito perfeito ensinei for a finished action yesterday.
  • Wrong: “Eu ensinar português à Maria.” Right: “Eu ensino português à Maria todos os dias.” Why: The infinitive ensinar never takes a subject. After eu you need the conjugated form ensino.

Quiz: test yourself

Choose the correct answer for each question, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained, so a wrong answer still teaches you something.

  1. What is the eu form of ensinar in the Present indicative (presente)?

    • A) ensinas
    • B) ensino
    • C) ensina
    • D) ensinamos

  2. What is the tu form of ensinar in the Present indicative (presente)?

    • A) ensino
    • B) ensina
    • C) ensinas
    • D) ensinamos

  3. What is the ele/ela form of ensinar in the Present indicative (presente)?

    • A) ensino
    • B) ensinas
    • C) ensinamos
    • D) ensina

  4. What is the nós form of ensinar in the Present indicative (presente)?

    • A) ensinamos
    • B) ensino
    • C) ensinas
    • D) ensina

  5. What is the vós form of ensinar in the Present indicative (presente)?

    • A) ensino
    • B) ensinais
    • C) ensinas
    • D) ensina

  6. What is the eles/elas form of ensinar in the Present indicative (presente)?

    • A) ensino
    • B) ensinas
    • C) ensinam
    • D) ensina

  7. What is the eu form of ensinar in the Present indicative (presente)?

    • A) ensinas
    • B) ensina
    • C) ensinamos
    • D) ensino

  8. What is the tu form of ensinar in the Present indicative (presente)?

    • A) ensinas
    • B) ensino
    • C) ensina
    • D) ensinamos

Answer key

  1. B) ensino — the correct form is ensino. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  2. C) ensinas — the correct form is ensinas. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  3. D) ensina — the correct form is ensina. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  4. A) ensinamos — the correct form is ensinamos. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  5. B) ensinais — the correct form is ensinais. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  6. C) ensinam — the correct form is ensinam. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  7. D) ensino — the correct form is ensino. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  8. A) ensinas — the correct form is ensinas. The other options are other forms of the same verb.

Frequently asked questions

What does ensinar mean in English?

ensinar means “to teach”. It is a regular -ar verb.

How is the present tense of ensinar formed?

The six present forms are: eu ensino, tu ensinas, ele ensina, nós ensinamos, vós ensinais, eles ensinam. ensinar is regular: every form follows the standard -ar endings, so once you know the pattern you can build every tense from the stem.

When do I use the present instead of the pretérito perfeito?

Use the present for habits, general truths and what is happening now. Use the pretérito perfeito for one finished action in the past. The time words are your best clue: todos os dias points to the present, ontem points to the pretérito perfeito.

What are the gerund and past participle of ensinar?

The gerund is ensinando and the past participle is ensinado.

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